So how can you make sure that potential employers already know you at the time when they need to recruit someone?  One answer is to write carefully targeted speculative applications.  Most job seekers tend to apply only for advertised jobs.  So you will have less competition if you approach organisations directly with a speculative application. You will also demonstrate initiative, an essential quality which most employers seek. Here are some tips on how to write a speculative application that will stand out.  

1. Be clear about the specific type of job that you are looking for.  This shows that you know what skills and experience you have to offer; have done your research on what is involved; and are focused on the type of job you want.  Don’t approach an organisation suggesting that you could ‘do anything’, as you will appear unfocused and possibly a bit desperate.  If you are unsure what you do want to do, consider talking to a career coach who can help you to get clear about your ideal type of job.

2. You want your letter to have the maximum chance of landing on the desk of someone who is likely to be recruiting for your type of position.  So, do some research to find the best target companies. 

3. Do not apply speculatively for jobs that legally have to be advertised – most jobs in the public sector, for example, must be advertised.  Do your homework, using a site such as Prospects or Learn Direct to check which types of jobs are normally advertised.

4. Make sure your letter is well presented.

5. Send it to a named contact.

6. Capture their attention.   One way of doing this is to show that you know about the company. Request an information pack or surf their website to research information.  Professional journals or business newspapers (often available in your local library) may have relevant news items.  Try requesting an information interview  with someone from a relevant department of the company.   

7. Give evidence of your skills and ability. If you say you have good copywriting skills, give a specific example of an achievement that demonstrated your copywriting ability.

8. Don’t say ‘I’ll work for nothing’.  Whilst this might be true if part of your strategy is to get some relevant experience or knowledge, it can create the impression that you don’t value your skills and experience – so why should they?  Instead, say you’d like to discuss ‘potential opportunities’, and leave the discussion as to whether these would be paid or unpaid until you’ve had a conversation about what you could do for them.

9. State in the letter that you will phone them to follow up, and when – then make sure you do follow up with a phone call to arrange a meeting.

10. Do enclose a well written CV (no more than 2 sides of A4) which is targeted to that organisation and the type of role that you would like to perform within it.

1.  First, allow yourself some space.  However common it may be, redundancy can trigger a range of reactions and emotional responses.  You may be feeling relieved after months of uncertainty.  Or you may feel under-valued and let down by an organisation that you have given years of your working life to.  You might see this as the opportunity you needed to review and perhaps change your career.  Or you might see it as a major setback to your plans.  However you see it, it is a major change in your life so give yourself some emotional space and be prepared to feel out of control for a while.

2.  Make sure you are getting all the support that you should get from your employer.  Understanding the redundancy process can be helpful in making sure you understand what you are entitled to and what you should expect from your employer. 

3.  Consider whether you would benefit from professional career support.  Some organisations will offer an outplacement service as part of a redundancy package.  Outplacement support can cover job-hunting advice and time off to help you find a new job.  It is worth checking with your employer whether they will offer this, and if possible negotiating outplacement support as part of your redundancy package.

4.  Focus on a couple of important first steps.  Taking some action, however small, can help the process of finding a new job seem less overwhelming.

5.  Review your career to date.  How have you been thinking and feeling about your career lately?  Do you think you’ve still got more to go at in your current occupation, or have you been feeling bored or stale?  What are your achievements?  What skills have you developed?  What have you enjoyed doing (and what have you not enjoyed)?  What must you have in your next job (and what must you avoid at all costs)?  Your career coach can help you to review your career and work out what you have to offer and what you want in your next role. 

6.  Research your career options. Do you want to find work in a similar occupation, or would you like a career change?  If you would like a change, do you want to change sector (the industry you work in), occupation (what you do), or both?  Changing either one or the other can be easier than changing both at the same time.  If you change sector, you still have your occupational experience to offer a new employer.  Likewise, if you change occupation but stay in the same sector, you have your knowledge of that sector to offer.  If your current occupation and/or sector are currently in decline, it may increase your options if you are prepared to consider a change.  You might also consider changes in type of employment e.g. self-employment, working part-time or jobshare, portfolio working, interim or consulting work.  Or you may wish to do some voluntary work for a while, or even ease yourself into retirement or active leisure.  Your career coach can help you to research and identify your options.

7.  Make some decisions.  It can be too easy to get lost in a huge range of options and make very little progress towards any of them.  Narrow down your options to two or three that you feel most confident about.   You can evaluate your options based on factors such as fit with your skills and experience, how well it matches your career goals, and estimated size of market (i.e. how many vacancies there are likely to be).  Your career coach can help you to structure your decision making and narrow down your options.

8.  Explore job seeking strategies including speculative approaches and networking to help you access the hidden job market.  Take the opportunity to review your CV.  There are many tools on the internet that can help you, for example this CV guide. Brush up on your interview skills, practising where possible with someone you know.  Your career coach can give you a mock interview which can help you to build your confidence, particularly if you haven’t had an interview for a long time.

9.  Put together a plan of action and monitor your progress every week.  Good action planning involves setting clear goals that define exactly where you want to be (and by when).  It also involves breaking those goals down into manageable steps.  A goal can seem very daunting (e.g. becoming a lawyer by the time I’m 36) but the first steps towards that will be less so (e.g. do some internet research to find out what the qualifying routes are).  Your career coach can help you to set and review your goals and manageable steps, and they will be there on the end of the phone at your next appointment to find out how you got on.  They hold you to what you say you are going to do, and they are interested in your progress.    This can make the whole process of finding a new role seem more exciting and less lonely.

10. Stay positive.  Remember, this is an opportunity for you to find work that you will love doing, that uses your unique combination of skills and experience.  You also offer a solution to a problem that an organisation somewhere has.  The more organisations you approach, the more likely you are to find that organisation.  Focus on your strengths and what you have to offer, and keep making progress on your plan of action.  Everyone I know who has done this has ended up happier in their new role than they had been before their redundancy.  So, follow these steps and look forward to the day that you will look back and say ‘actually, that was the best thing that could have happened to me.’

Most people are unsure who they can turn to for help.  Friends can give advice (friends always do, don’t they?), but you sense that they are fed up with listening to your grumbles.  But where do you go next?  You might think first of all that you are entitled to free support from government supported careers services.  However, these are not available to all adults.  They are currently set up to support 13-19 year olds, the unemployed, and those with few qualifications.  The services available as at April 2007 are listed below:-

Next Step is for adults over 20, and can provide free information through publications and the internet.  However, you only qualify to talk to an adviser if you have less than 5 GCSE’s (or equivalent), or if you don’t hold an NVQ level 2 or above qualification.

Learn Direct also offer lots of advice and information online, and they also have a hotline that you can call for advice on jobs, courses, paying for training or finding childcare.

Connexions is only available to 13-19 year olds. 

Jobseekers is a government website offering advice on jobs, training and careers.  But you can’t talk to an adviser.

Jobcentreplus personal advisers can help if you are out of work and receiving benefits.

Then there are university and college careers services.  These tend only to be available to current or recent students.  If you are currently studying, or have recently graduated, it might be worth contacting your university or college careers service.  They normally offer an appointment with a careers adviser, and have lots of useful information which they can help you to use.  They will definitely be able to help you to find out what types of careers are available and what qualifications you may need. 

Other places that you might think to go for help include Recruitment Agencies.  Often these can offer advice with writing CVs.  However, any Recruitment Agency will expect you to know exactly what type of job you want to go for.  They are working on behalf of their paying clients i.e. the companies who they are recruiting for.  They are interested in getting quality candidates for their paying clients, and therefore not necessarily interested in helping you to get a job that you will love.  If you are unsure what you want to do, they will certainly not have the time to help you become clearer.  The danger for you can be that a visit to a recruitment agency could severely knock your confidence unless you are already clear about what type of job you want.  You will need to stick to your guns as well, particularly if you are looking to change career.  You will probably come under pressure to stick with a job or industry that you already have in abundance on your CV, as this will make you the best candidate for a recruitment consultant to put forward to their client.

So – who do you turn to if you are not sure what it is that you want to do, or how you can make a difficult transition to a better quality working life?  Your next option is paid services.  There are a number of different types of service that you could consider.

Executive career coaching and development

These services tend to be based in cities, and are aimed at executives i.e. high earners who want to progress their career.  They tend to offer a premium service with associated high costs.  Their services can include career development coaching as well as career move support.

Outplacement Consultants

Outplacement is a service offered by organisations (normally via outplacement specialist consultancies) to individuals who have been made redundant.  You can sometimes pay for these services as an individual, but again, cost tends to be high.  Services are primarily focused on helping you to find another job.

Work/career psychologists

These services are offered by qualified psychologists, and tend to offer products such as psychometric testing, followed up by a feedback report and a session (or series of sessions) with a psychologist.  The way they work tends to be based on testing, but they may also offer coaching.  Again, the cost of services tends to be high.

CV Writing Services

There are some organisations who will offer to write your CV for you.  As we believe that your CV needs to be tailored for each opportunity you apply for, you will still need to revise it yourself anyway.
 
Life coaches

Life coaching is becoming increasingly popular.  Many life coaches will help with career issues.  However, if they don’t specialise in career issues, they will not have the same experience and expertise as those who do.  Most life coaches will specialise in one area for this reason.  See ‘Career Coaching’ below for advice on choosing a coach.

Career Coaching

There are now literally hundreds of organisations and individuals on the internet stating that they offer career coaching.  However, they all differ slightly in what they actually offer.  Some provide mainly careers advice i.e. CVs, cover letters, applications etc.  Others offer a testing-based service.  And many will offer coaching.  But with such an overwhelming number of them, how do you choose?  What should you look for? 

• First, make sure they are qualified to coach.   Although there is currently no governing body for coaching, there are professional bodies who will only allow membership to coaches who meet their criteria in terms of qualifications.  The Association for Coaching is the main UK body.   
• Secondly, what sort of help do you want?  If you know what type of job that you want and you just need help getting it, then you might need careers advice i.e. feedback on your CV and interview skills.  However, if you are unclear about what you want or how to get it, then you need someone who is a skilled and experienced coach.
• Third, ask for a free consultation so that you can find out whether you get on with the coach.  Coaching is about developing an effective relationship, so you need to know that you can get on with their working style.  Most (but not all) coaches will offer some sort of introductory consultation.  If they don’t, ask how you can find out more about how they are likely to work with you. 

Costs vary considerably depending on the location, experience, and way of working.  Face to face sessions will tend to be more expensive, as you are also paying for the cost of premises.  Telephone coaching can therefore be more cost-effective, and has the added benefit of convenience (you don’t have to travel).  It is most common to be charged for a package of sessions, as you normally need a series of appointments to achieve your goals.  Prices tend to start from £50-60 per hour, which is roughly comparable to any other professional service such as psychotherapy, osteopathy or chiropody.

Our career coach will be happy to talk to you to discuss more about how career coaching can benefit you.  Contact us to arrange a free consultation.

1.  I just fell into this job.  It’s never really been what I want.  Now I want to change career to something that I’ve considered properly, and know is right for me.

It is quite common for people to get a few years into their working life, and realise that they never actively chose what they do for a living.  If this is the case for you, the first step is to consider what your skills and interests are.  You might want to use one of the skills questionnaires available on the internet e.g. Prospects Planner.  It can also be helpful to think back to your earlier years.  Remember what you wanted to be when you grew up?  Sometimes your younger self had a pretty good idea what you wanted to do!  This can then help you to generate career options.

2. I’m bored.  I’ve been doing this job for far too long, and there’s no challenge any more.

For some people, they have just done their job ‘to death’.  There is nothing new to learn and no new challenges.   The main question if you are in this situation is whether you want a complete change, or whether you want to use your experiences in a new way.  For example, an accountant may want to try working in the charity sector or become a college lecturer in accounting and finance.  Both of these would use accounting experience, but in different environments and with new challenges.  It is important to make sense of your situation before you take the huge step of retraining or handing in your notice.

3.  I’ve just finished studying and I want a career that uses my qualification.

This is very common for people who have completed a degree as a mature student.  If this describes you, you’ve worked hard to get those qualifications and you want to reap the benefits and get a better job.  The first step in this situation is to work out what skills your new qualification has given you that makes you saleable to an employer.  These are not just things to do with your subject, but are also transferable skills – skills that you could use in any job.  Examples might include giving presentations, managing your time, or presenting written information in a clear and concise way.  Employers need to see more than just the qualification on your CV – they need to see what skills you can bring to their organisation.  You can use something like the Prospects Planner to consider which skills you have developed.  You can then consider what career options might be open to you with those skills.

4. I want to do something more meaningful to make a difference to people’s lives.

Sometimes the day job can seem terribly meaningless.  All that hassle, and what are you doing it for?  If this strikes a chord, try this exercise.  Make a list of all the people or causes that you feel passionate about, and that you would like to be able to help.  Is there a pattern?  Do you tend to want to help people, animals or the environment?  Now make a list of your key skills – the things you are good at and enjoy doing.  How might these skills benefit the people or causes that you want to help?  Look at jobs advertised by the types of organisation you are interested in.  Do the skills that they are looking for match up with yours?  A career coach can help you to consider how you could transfer your skills and make a plan for transition.

5. I’m fed up with scraping by.  I need a career that will earn me more money.

Even if a career is rewarding, it can become difficult or impossible to live on a low salary – particularly if your life circumstances change.  If this is the case for you, then your first step is to consider how much you really need to live on.  You will also need some idea of what skills you want to use, and the type of environment you want to work in.  You can then explore career options using information available on the internet such as Prospects or LearnDirect, which give you some idea of salary expectations for each type of job.  If the jobs you are interested in require additional training or qualifications, factor in the cost and benefit.  Is it worth taking the time and money to retrain for a bigger salary longer term?  Is there a way you could do the training part-time?  A career coach can help you to put together a transition plan.

6. I think I chose the wrong career, and I’m really unhappy doing what I’m doing.

This is surprisingly common.  How many of us know what we really want to do when we are 16 – 21?  The main thing is to recognise now that there is something that you can do about it.  You don’t have to continue being unhappy for the rest of your working career.  The first step is to make sense of your current situation, and not leap without considering the facts.  You have the opportunity now to get it right second (or third!) time.

7. I’ve been made redundant, and I want to find a career that is more stable and secure.

We all know that work has changed considerably in the last few decades.  With increasing globalisation of industry, many jobs become vulnerable.  Instead of trying to find a career that will be stable (I’m not sure that there are any guarantees any more), think about how you can develop You Plc.  What transferable skills do you have that you could offer in different industries?  How could you offer your industry experience, but in a different context e.g. moving from manufacturing to research, or from research to teaching?  Read the trade and business press, keep an eye on trends and developments in your field and stay ahead of the game.  Look for opportunities that may come up, and go for them wherever you can.  Keep talking to people and making new contacts.  Opportunities are often found through people you know.  A career coach can help you to develop You Plc.

8. I’ve had a series of odd jobs, but I’d like a career with a proper professional career path that I can follow.

If you feel that this describes you, I would suggest first that you don’t undervalue your career so far.  A career does not have to be a clearly defined profession, such as medicine or accountancy.  A career is basically the story of what you have done in your working life.  Many people enjoy the variety of a portfolio career, or a series of varied and interesting jobs.  If you look back over what you’ve done, and write down what skills you were using, I bet you will see some common threads emerging.  A career coach can help you make sense of your career to date, and what it might be telling you about yourself.  But if you already know all this, and you feel that you really need a job where you know what you are, what profession you belong to, and what qualifications you can do, then it is just as important to make sense of the threads of your career so far.  They can help you to identify which profession might be right for you and consider your career options.

9. I’m fed up with working for someone else.  I want a career where I can work for myself.

If you are the type of person who values autonomy, enjoys working on your own and creating something new, then you might be thinking about self-employment.  Running your own business can be rewarding – but is also very hard work, so it’s important to consider carefully whether this is the right option for you.  Business Link have a very good website with information to help you consider self employment.  A career coach can help you to decide whether self-employment is the right option for you, and if so, can help you through the difficult transition period of setting up and changing your work and life style to fit with your business.

10.  People say I’ve done really well for myself, but I still feel that there’s something missing.  I feel that there should be more to life than this.

Some people seem to have it all – good job, nice house, decent car, the latest fashions – but they still aren’t happy.  If this is you – if you’ve got a nagging feeling that you’ve got something more to accomplish, but you don’t know what it is – then you might be experiencing a crisis of meaning.  This can happen when you lose touch with your purpose in life – what you feel you are here to achieve.  You are hearing a kind of ‘call to action’.  The first step is to make space in your life to listen to that call to action.  Start a journal and get your thoughts down on paper.  Write whatever comes into your head, and don’t judge what you write.  Take a look at our article on Finding your Motivation which has a few more ideas that will help you.

How would it feel to wake up each morning and feel a bright flame burning inside; a purpose demanding to be met?  Getting in touch with what motivates you can ignite this flame and give you a reason to go to work.  If you feel that this is something you need, try the following exercise.

Find a quiet place.  If you have a hectic family life, this might mean leaving the house for a while.  Find a park, a café, or a quiet spot in nature where you can be undisturbed for at least half an hour.  Make sure you have a notepad and pen.  Sit quietly for a while, simply focusing on the present moment.  What can you see around you?  What colours?  What movements?  What can you smell?  What sounds can you hear?  How are you feeling physically?  Do you have any aches or pains?  Just become aware of them.  How is your breathing?  Shallow or deep?  Fast or slow?  Take a few slow deep breaths.

When you feel calm and quiet, take a notepad and pen and start to write down your responses to the following questions.  Just write the first thing that comes into your head.  Don’t think hard; try to write your initial gut responses however daft they seem.

• What do I care about, truly and deeply?
• What is a change I want to see in the world?
• What is my purpose here?
• What does my heart crave?
• If I could serve my heart, what would I do?

Look over the notes you have written.  Do any themes or patterns emerge?  What are they telling you?  Can you summarise them by answering this one question:

• What is worth doing, and worth doing well?

Now consider your current work occupation(s).  How is it serving your purpose?

Please note that your work might be as much a means to an end as an end in itself.  For example, your purpose might be to love and care for your family.  Your work itself might not do this, but the money you earn may be the reason why you work.  In this case, you may have lost sight of that purpose, and may benefit from reviewing your work/life balance.

Or it might be that you feel your work itself is meaningless and empty.  In which case, is it time you considered a career change?

Rediscovering your motivation can help you to look forward to going to work with more energy and purpose.  A career coach can help you to consider your work motivation, and then act on the answers you find.

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Your career coach is experienced and qualified to help with management coaching, and can support you to develop your career within your current role.  They will help you to consider:-

• where you are now – what’s working for you, and what isn’t
• where you want to be – what do you want to achieve, and by when?
• your strengths, and how you can build on them
• what you need to improve to achieve your work goals
• how you can learn from your experience to improve effectiveness
• your personal blocks to change, and how you can overcome them
• how to identify and develop your support networks

Contact us for more information.

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It is entirely possible to redesign the ‘work’ part of your life to leave space for other priorities.  There are many flexible working options available which you could consider.  Or you might just need to reconsider your priorities – what is important to you about work, and what is driving you to make it the centre of your life.  A series of career coaching sessions can help you to make sense of how you use your time, identify time savers, and redesign your career to get some balance back into your life.

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Different lifestages can also prompt people to reconsider their priorities and review the place that work holds in their life.? They may want a career that is more meaningful, or that leaves them more time for other priorities in their life.? There are many reasons why people consider a career change.

Whatever your situation, talking things through with a career coach can help you to:-

• make sense of your current situation
• generate career options
• make decisions
• decide how you are going to make a career transition
• clarify your goals, make a plan and take action

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You may have had ideas, but ruled them out because you think you don’t have the right skills or experience. Or you might have been told that it is a very competitive area – so you give up before you even start. At Career Clarity, we will help you think through your ideas and sense-check all those barriers that you have been putting in the way of exploring them further. Sometimes those barriers might just crumble away.

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